I'm split in two

[NuttyMare]

part of me wants to start jumping again but another part doesnt. oh help!!

What part of you is it that doesn't want to start jumping again, is it a fear/confidence thing?

[nutkin]

hi there i recently posted a thread about regaining my confidence with jumping. The do I don't I want to jump is all about just that..confidence. In my case it was because of a bad fall that I didn't want to jump again, but with the right horse and alot of encouragement both from me and my friends I finally managed to go and do some clear round jumping although the mere thought of it terrified me. All I can suggest is take things slowly and start with trotting poles and only do what feels comfortable.If you know what causes your fear then being able to put that fear into perspective may help.ie if you are scared of falling off try saying to yourself that yes there is a risk of falling off but i am only doing this height and there is far less chance of that happening over a crosspole than a 5 ft spread. If you can deal with the root cause of your fear then suddenly it wont seem so scary anymore and you will find that the more you find yourself saying yes i can the more your confidence will grow. I am still working on my fears as at the moment I am only jumping up to 2'3" but I will work on that and I am determined to start doing bigger fences soon.

Nutkin

thats why i asked what was causing the don't want to jump part. Until last October i was terrified of jumping anything higher than a X pole, but since a holiday in Wrexham, and working on my jumping there, and then again when i got back home, ive now regained my confidence & then some! me & my boy are now jumping 3'3-3'6" at home and 2'6"-2'9" at shows

Nutty Mare

take your time, start with little jumps and build yourself up - if you want to jump again, then you will overcome your fears eventually!

[nutkin]

wow thats brilliant Joy. Hopefully I will be saying that soon too.

Nutkin, keep at it, im sure you will

i used to jump big tracks (3'0" and over) 7-10 years ago when i first had Toddy, but he soured in the ring and started stopping, which built up into an enormous monster over the winter when i wasn't jumping him, but i eventually got to a point where i WANTED to do it again! but starting out was hard work, especially as im 33 now, and scared witless of hurting us both by getting it wrong

[LynneAC]

Originally posted by joy70
Until last October i was terrified of jumping anything higher than a X pole, but since a holiday in Wrexham, and working on my jumping there, and then again when i got back home, ive now regained my confidence & then some! me & my boy are now jumping 3'3-3'6" at home and 2'6"-2'9" at shows

You didn't have Holly did you? I went to Wrexham in January (after breaking my ribs in a jump lesson in August) and was scared at every single jump lesson that I went to (although I enjoyed it while I was doing it!). I then went back again in April and was shocked and surprised to find that I wasn't in the least bit nervous, I couldn't understand where my fear had gone to and was jumping a course of up to 2'6" jumps by the end of it (not bad as I don't really get to jump much except when I'm at Wrexham). There is something about Holly that just gives me confidence, she knows when to push you and when to tell you to stop ..... whatever it is she should bottle it because she'd make a FORTUNE!

LynneAC

yes i had Holly, and she was a very good instructor, I also had another girl whos name escapes me at the moment, began with a K i beleive, she helped me too as until my visit to Wrexham i was after years of riding a 13.2hh and nothing else terrified of bigger horses, Krista (its just come to me ) put me on Tallboy, and Wixey, now im no longer bothered by bigger horses. In fact since coming back home im now riding a 15.33/16hh mare thats never been ridden, shes 12 years old ex trotting horse

Some think i paid a lot for a holiday, but the amount of confidence ive gained from that week was well worth it